County of Renfrew presenting two delegations at AMO Conference

RELEASE DATE:

Aug. 15, 2022

County of Renfrew presenting two delegations at AMO Conference

OTTAWA – The County of Renfrew is preparing for two delegation meetings during the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) Conference in Ottawa this week.

The annual conference, taking place from Aug. 14-17, is the top educational forum for municipal leaders. The 2022 conference marks the first time municipal officials will gather in-person in almost three years. Aside from having more than 60 speakers, sessions and workshops to choose from, Renfrew County elected officials and senior staff members will appear as delegations before provincial ministries to discuss issues that directly impact service delivery and quality of life in Renfrew County – namely County Road Growth Pressures and ongoing funding for the Renfrew County Virtual Triage and Assessment Centre (RC VTAC).

“The AMO conference is a highly anticipated event this year as it gives municipal leaders from across Ontario an opportunity to meet in-person with provincial ministers and their staff,” said Warden Debbie Robinson. “We are fortunate to be meeting with Minister of Health Sylvia Jones to discuss the request for sustainable funding for Renfrew County Virtual Triage and Assessment Centre (RC VTAC). Minister Jones’ predecessor Christine Elliott was supportive of VTAC and I am confident that Minister Jones will also see the tremendous positive impact VTAC is making in Renfrew County, and its potential of being duplicated across the province.

“As well, we will be meeting with the Parliamentary Assistant to Minister Kinga Surma, Amarjot Sandhu to speak about the County’s ongoing challenges to improve our infrastructure, in particular in areas where we’ve seen and continue to see significant growth,” Warden Robinson added.

The Warden will be joined at the delegation meetings by Health Committee Chair Councillor Michael Donohue and Operations Committee Chair Councillor Tom Peckett, along with Chief Administrative Officer Paul Moreau, Directors Craig Kelley and Lee Perkins and Paramedic Service Chief Michael Nolan.

As the largest geographical municipality in Ontario, Renfrew County has 1,600 lane kilometres of County-owned roadways and infrastructure, including 252 large culverts and bridges. Maintaining this public infrastructure is becoming increasingly difficult, especially after the inflationary pressures of 2021/22. The most significant areas of growth have been Arnprior, Petawawa and Calabogie.

The County will ask the provincial government to commit to the doubling of the Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund (OCIF) allocations to municipalities and commit to a long-term funding formula that would allow municipalities to align funding with their long-term financial plans and asset management plans, while also preparing for anticipated future growth.

In the meeting with Minister Jones, Warden Robinson will highlight the adaptability of the RC VTAC for communities across the province to improve access to primary care. She will also stress the necessity of sustainable funding from the province in order for RC VTAC to continue serving County residents.

In Renfrew County as of July 2022, approximately 30,000 or 28 per cent of residents did not have a family doctor. When adding in the planned family physician retirements in 2022, the number of unattached residents is expected to jump to 35,000.

Per month, RC VTAC currently receives approximately 5,000 calls and operators provide 2,250 physician assessments which prevent 1,000 Emergency Department visits or 911 calls. RC VTAC is a cost-effective, efficient, patient-focused model of care. It has become a lifeline for thousands of local residents, many of them seniors, who do not have the resources or options to seek health care outside of their home communities.

AMO is a non-profit organization representing almost all of Ontario’s 444 municipal governments. AMO supports and enhances strong and effective municipal government in Ontario and promotes the values of municipal government as a vital and essential component of Ontario and Canada’s political system.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:

Paul Moreau            Chief Administrative Officer/Clerk                    613-735-7288

Tina Peplinskie        Media Relations Coordinator                             613-735-7288